Verdicts & Settlements

Workers' Compensation & Disability

The widow of a delivery driver for a local company was recently awarded $250,000 in widow’s benefits in a Workers’ Compensation case. The settlement was entered when it was proven that the husband died as a result of exposure to diesel fumes while working in the garage at his place of employment as well as during the time that he was driving his truck. The plaintiff was represented by partner attorney Bruce P.Miller who concentrates his practice in the area of workers’ compensation and disability law. For further information, please contact our Workers' Compensation & Disability Attorneys

A 49 year old sheet metal worker suffered a construction accident on a work site in Plainsboro, NJ while lifting a 200 pound piece of duct work. The accident and injury was caused by the combined negligence of the general contractor and various subcontractors who failed to ensure a safe work place. Our client suffered neck and shoulder injuries and lost wages as a result of the construction accident. The case settled before trial at mediation for $175,000.00 The plaintiff was represented by partner attorney Tom Smith who concentrates his practice in the area of accident and injury law. He can be reached at tsmith@pralaw.com

When the UPS driver pulled into the driveway and got out to deliver his package, he was greeted by a charging, barking dog. While escaping the attack, he injured his knee. Although never physically harmed by the dog, the fear of possible harm certainly led to the injury. In addition to winning our client a Workers’ Compensation award against his employer, our attorneys also won this third-party injury award against the homeowner, because the dog owners are required to restrain their pet for both visitor and dog’s protection.

The workers' compensation insurance company's medical evaluators claimed our client, a 70-year-old member of the bricklayer's labor union, had fully recovered from construction injuries sustained when falling off a scaffold. New Jersey Certified Workers' Compensation Trial Lawyer Gary E. Adams and our firm's medical experts contended that our client will never fully recover from construction accident injuries to his legs and hips and return to his prior occupation os a bricklayer. In fact, he can only get around with the assistance of a cane. After a contested hearing in New Jersey Workers' Compensation Court, the Judge awarded the 70-year-old injured bricklayer permanent disability benefits in excess of $101,000 as a result of on-the-job injuries sustained in the construction accident. Additionally, our client retained the right to seek additional medical treatment for these job related injuries at the expense of his former employer's Workers' Compensation insurance company for a period of two years from the date of this award; and he retained the right to seek additional disability benefits during the initial two years, should his condition worsen from the construction accident injuries.

When a union electrician was diagnosed with a type of cancer related to asbestos exposure, our attorneys were able to prove he had, in fact, been exposed at his job sites to sufficient amounts of asbestos to contribute to the cancer and win immediate medical benefits, missed pay, and a $185,000 award – as well as leave the door open to additional monies to our client’s widow if his cancer results in death.

When an employee of the State of New Jersey developed conditions requiring treatment to her hands and arms, she called to ask whether the repetitive motion of typing day after day, year after year may have contributed to her injuries. Our workers’ compensation lawyers found, and then proved, that they did. For further information contact our workers’ compensation attorneys.

Occupational diseases are conditions that develop over time due to your environment. They can be difficult claims to prove; however our workers’ compensation lawyers have had considerable success. In this case, our client developed pulmonary damage, loss of hearing and some joint injuries due to exposure to dust, loud noise and physically stressful conditions over several years at a local manufacturing facility.

When friends hired a master carpenter to renovate their historic home to its original condition and various other improvements to their properties, and he was seriously injured from a fall, the insurance company held that he was an independent contractor and refused to cover him as an employee. However our attorney proved that the circumstances of this relationship actually met the conditions of an employee-employer relationship, and therefore qualified for coverage. The court agreed. (Dollar award confidential.)

A union electrician employed by an electrical contractor from 1952 through 1980, developed malignant mesothelioma, which is a rare form of cancer frequently associated with asbestos exposure. Our attorneys filed a workers’ compensation claim, but faced the challenge that our client’s employer had gone out of business several years earlier. So our attorneys located the insurance carrier who had issued the employer’s compensation policy; established that our client’s disease was related to his employment at the electrical contractor; and won our client total and permanent disability with full medical and disability benefits for life. (Dollar award confidential.)

Breathing in excessive dust, dirt and fumes – especially those that can be toxic to the lungs – over a period of years can cause chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Now retired and suffering from chronic bronchitis, and prodded by his wife, our client asked his doctor whether his work environment could have caused his condition. He was not a smoker. So the doctor said yes. We won full payment for medical treatment (no deductible or copays) and a lump sum payment for permanent physical damage and suffering. Fortunately, his condition did not become emphysema, but that too would have been covered had it been related, as well. (Dollar award confidential.)

When our client was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome she was not aware that the repetitive motion of keyboarding on her computer at the office every day over a period of years could be the cause – and that she had the right to workers’ compensation benefits – until a friend convinced her to contact us. We won for her the full cost of medical treatment, lost wages during treatment and a lump sum payment for the permanent damage to her arm. Repetitive motion can cause other covered conditions, and other kinds repetitive motion work are covered. (Dollar award confidential.)

After years and years of standing on her feet, serving customers, her knees gave out – one and then the other – and the doctor recommended knee replacement surgery to alleviate the pain. We won full payment for medical treatment (no deductible or copays), lost wages while missing work while under prescribed treatment (70% of gross salary), and a lump sum payment for permanent knee damage. (Dollar award confidential.)

While driving between client appointments, a salesman suffered injuries in an auto accident that landed him in the hospital and led to several procedures and physical therapy. While the damage to his car was covered by his auto insurance, the primary coverage for his injuries were paid by his employer’s workers’ compensation insurance. And, he found, the workers’ compensation coverage was much richer in benefits than his health plan insurance would have been. We won full payment for medical treatment (no deductible or copays), lost wages while missing work while under prescribed treatment (70% of gross salary), and a lump sum payment for permanent spinal damage. Workers’ compensation insurance covers everyone in the state no matter what kind of work or which employer. It covers all activity that is clearly on the job, even if not on the premises. (Dollar award confidential.)

Although her primary workplace was at home, our lawyers made the case that she was traveling on business and that she was not commuting; therefore our client’s auto injuries were covered under workers’ compensation law. We won full payment for medical treatment (no deductible or copays), lost wages while missing work while under prescribed treatment (70% of gross salary), and a lump sum payment for permanent physical damage. In fact, we recovered every major cost of her accident except damage to the car; that was paid by her auto insurance policy. (Dollar award confidential.)